The present invention relates generally to the field of oil lamps and in particular to a new and useful oil lamp having a porous diffuser for imparting a fragrance into the air from the oil lamp.
Many different types of oil-burning lamps are known. Some lamps incorporate a fragrance into the fuel oil, while others provide for a separate fragrant emitting portion, or emanator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,246, for example, is for an oil lamp having a porous emanator supported on the neck of a container holding a flammable liquid, such as oil. A wick holder passes through the center of the emanator and supports a wick therein. The wick is in contact with the oil and draws oil up above the emanator for combustion. The emanator is impregnated with a fragrance, which is released into the air, especially when the wick is lit.
The wick holder in U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,246 is not used to draw oil and fragrance from the flammable liquid up to the emanator; the holder is an optional component for supporting the wick.
The oil lamp claimed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,711 has a canister holding the fuel oil, a burner assembly supported on the canister, and a fragrance element spaced from the burner assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the fragrance dispensing element is xe2x80x9cring-likexe2x80x9d and it is xe2x80x9cmounted on said canister and surrounding said burner assemblyxe2x80x9d. Only the fragrance element contains a fragrance in the oil lamp of U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,711, and the element does not contact the wick.
A leak-proof lamp is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,678 which has an inner flange having substantially the same frusto-conical shape as the outer covering that is fit over the opening of the fuel oil container. The inner flange extends into the opening of the container and seals against the inner wall of the container opening. The outer covering has a bottom edge which is secured around a horizontal lip on the container opening. The inner flange is secured to the outer covering by spot welding, or they can be formed integral.
Other lamps include U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,400 for a heat-activated volatile substance dispenser. The dispenser has two containers, an inner container holding a heat source, such as a candle and an outer container surrounding the inner container forming an annulus holding a gel incorporating the volatile substance. The inner container has an open top and holds a burnable material, such as a candle. The combustion of the candle in the inner container causes the gel in the annulus to release fragrance when heated by the walls of the inner container.
Other patents disclose oil lamps having drip collars around the neck, such as U.S. Pat. No. 40,094. The body of the lamp vessel is generally cylindrical with rounded sides and a neck opening at the top. An annular depression is formed around the neck opening to catch dripping oil and prevent it from falling outside the lamp body. There is no fragrance emitting portion on this lamp.
A fuel supply vessel for an oil burning incubator lamp has a centrally located raised neck for supporting the lamp and holding the wick in position to deliver fuel to the lamp from the vessel is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 871,016. The fuel supply vessel has a raised outer edge as well, to form a reservoir pan around the raised neck on top of the vessel. The reservoir is filled with water to dissipate heat from the burning lamp wick.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,332 shows a oil lamp candle having a wick holder which floats on the fuel oil in a container, such as a glass. The wick holder is a cylindrical boat with a raised central portion supporting the wick above the outer edge of the boat, and forming an annular space inside the boat. The annular space is not disclosed as being filled by any substance and is left open.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,917 teaches a scented ring for use with candles made of a wax-like material impregnated with a fragrant composition. The ring is positioned around the wick of a wax candle and is consumed by use, while releasing fragrance.
An oil lamp for diffusing fragrance contained in the oil is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,767. The lamp has a metal tube wick holder supported by a perforated cone in the neck of the lamp vessel. The burning wick heats the tube, which in turn heats the oil, causing it to release fragrance into the air through the perforations in the cone.
A primary difficulty experienced by many prior art oil lamps which emit a fragrance is to provide a sufficient amount of fragrance from the lamp. This problem is apparent especially when the fragrance is combined in the oil being burned. The intent of these lamps is that the oil and fragrance will both drawn up the wick and fragrance will be released. However, typically, both the fuel oil and fragrance oil are burned, generating either only a xe2x80x9cfuelxe2x80x9d smell, or a burnt smell from combustion of the fragrance.
Lamps which have separate fragrance emanators suffer from the difficulty of ensuring the fragrance is released at a sufficiently high rate so that the fragrance is smelled over the burning of the fuel oil. It is common to use the heat of the flame burning fuel oil to warm a separate emanator, usually by placing them in proximity to each other, to enhance the release rate of fragrance from the emanator.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an oil lamp which emits a strong fragrance, especially when lighted.
It is a further objection of the invention to provide an oil lamp which includes protection from spills and leaks.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an oil lamp having a diffuser for fragrance oil combined with the fuel oil.
Accordingly, an oil lamp is provided having a container with a top opening, a ceramic diffuser mounted in the top opening, a sealing gasket between the top opening and ceramic diffuser, a wick holder covering the ceramic diffuser and secured to the top opening, and a wick passing through the ceramic diffuser and one end extending above the wick holder. The other end of the wick extends into a mixture of fuel oil and fragrance in the container. Fragrance and fuel oil are both drawn up the wick. Some oil is absorbed by the ceramic diffuser and diffused into the air surrounding the oil lamp. Other fuel oil and fragrance are burned at the top end of the wick above the wick holder.
The oil lamp contains a mixture of fuel oil and about 3-5% wt. of perfume. The intensity of the perfume is sufficient to mask the smell of burning fuel oil and perfume and provides a scent which is at least as intense as perfumed wax candles.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.